


Avatar: Boiling Isles Edition

by lacklusterlesbian



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Slow Burn, avatar AU, exceedingly long, i am not going to be able to rest easy, its times like these, mmm we ready for trauma??, solely bc i want to read my own finished product, take matters into your own hands, the fic i want to see is, unfortunately for me, when you gotta just, write the fic you wanna see in the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26463856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacklusterlesbian/pseuds/lacklusterlesbian
Summary: Luz is the Avatar. She doesn't totally know what that entails, yet. Between trying to master all the elements and working against a corrupt Emperor, she still has a lot to learn.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Avatar: Boiling Isles Edition

**Author's Note:**

> what is UP my dudes its high time for an Avatar AU. i would first of all like to say- please don't judge me for my element choices for everyone i HAVE seen fanart of Amity in a firebender outfit and i was filled with IMMEDIATE regret but i was also already a good 3000 words into this and decided that my choice had already been made. also there's like. potential plot reasons later on but y'know.  
> no beta we die like men

Luz forced her body into the movements she'd been practicing since she was a child, starting off with a firebending stance her mother had taught her, before moving into another, and then another, and soon enough she was moving with the fluidity of a master, kicking and punching and ducking and weaving with ease. She continued through her usual movements, ending with one final punch and an actual burst of fire. She bowed to an invisible sparring partner, more out of respect for her teachers than anything else.

She glanced around at the forest she was in, noting the birds still singing and the general quiet of the area around her. Almost reluctantly, she pulled out an earthbending scroll she had found hidden in a shop ages ago.

Luz planted her feet firmly in the ground, and closed her eyes for a moment. She breathed in deeply, before opening her eyes and bringing her hand up in a fist, creating a pillar of earth in front of her.

She grinned, excited, and began to get more into the movements, creating more intricately detailed pillars of earth, and making holes in the ground, before settling slightly, and creating a small stone table with some stools surrounding it.

She sat down to take a break, trying to even her breathing out again.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of tiny little footsteps, and before she knew it, a demon was sitting in front of her. Truth be told, she had made other chairs simply because she wished she had someone to sit with, but this was- unexpected.

"Oh. My. Gosh. You are so. CUTE!" Before the demon had a chance to get a word in, Luz had picked him up and was hugging him tightly, squishing their faces together.

"Stop it, mortal! I am the King of all demons, and you _will_ bow before me!" The demon said, struggling futilely in her arms.

"Aww, you're just saying that. You're just adorable!" She replied, still squeezing him tightly.

"Let, go!" The demon said, still angry. He pulled on her arms, trying to get them to unclench even slightly from the tight grip she had on him.

Luz finally relented and sat him back down in one of the stools by the table. She took out her waterskin and took a long drink, holding it out for him to have some if he wanted as well.

The demon eyed it carefully, but upon seeing her swallow reached for it and took a tiny sip. "Hmm... this worship shall do for now."

Luz laughed brightly. "So, what should I call you, almighty King of Demons?"

The demon blinked at her for a moment, before he said, "Yes. That. Exactly. That was perfect!"

It was Luz's turn to blink that time. "How about... King, for short?"

The demon nodded excitedly. "That works too!" He took a long sip from her waterskin. "So, tell me, human, what are you doing in these woods?"

"My name is Luz. And I'm... practicing my bending, of course! Haha, ha..." She didn't even try to cover up what she had been doing before.

"Hmm..." King replied. "I thought humans weren't allowed to bend without other humans present."

"Uh, yeah, well, I guess I'm a criminal..." Luz said, and clenched her hands for a moment.

"Really? Me too! Those mean Emperor's guard in the town just over that hill stole my crown from me! It has all my power embedded in it and they took it away!" King said, standing up on the table and gesturing towards a hill to the north of them.

"Ooo, really? What kind of powers do you have?" Luz asked, interest piqued.

"I, uhh, I'm not totally sure? I... hit my head, a while ago, and it makes remembering certain things... kind of hard." King said, subdued. He looked away from Luz's eyes, as though embarrassed.

"Well, maybe this crown of yours will help you remember. I'll help you find it!" Luz declared.

"Really?" King asked, looking back at her. "I mean- of course you will, human Luz! As King of Demons, you are required to do as I say."

Luz smiled again at him, and stood up from her table. She took a deep breath, and bended the stone back into the earth, as to leave less of a trace to show that she had been there. She reached down, and gently took her waterskin back from King. "Just over this hill, you say?"

"Yes!" He said, pointing again towards it. "Also.... will you carry me? I have short little legs, so it makes it harder for me to walk as fast as you."

Luz chuckled, and then picked him up, hesitating only for a moment before saying, "You can even ride in my hood, you adorable little demon, you."

King seemed all too taken with the idea, grabbing onto her neck for a moment before he leaned back into it, and then curled up inside of it. "Perfect choice, human. Your services have been noted."

Luz giggled at his words, beginning the short trek up the hill. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, making sure King wasn't about to fall out of her hood.

When she reached the top of the hill, she gasped in surprise. The way the town was set in the valley, and how the sun was hitting it, made it look like it was some sort of paradise. Even the apparent water feature was stunning, a waterfall forming into a river as it snaked its way through the town.

From here, Luz could see people moving about in the town, going along with their daily lives and heading where they needed to go.

Off in the distance, she saw a small school, the building recently constructed. She wondered just how many of the kids within the city actually went there. Non-benders, most likely, weren't even allowed near the place.

Luz wondered how the Emperor planned on keeping the general populace satisfied, when he forced all the bending children to be under almost constant supervision. The non-bending children were being discriminated against- not having any proper education aside from what their parents could teach them isn't necessarily all bad, especially for the families who need the extra hands with work, but the fact that none of the families had a choice in who was to go to school was a clear point of tension amongst community members.

She noticed wanted posters up on the walls of buildings in the town. Some were for bandits, and some were just for petty thieves. Luz couldn't help herself, however, and looked for one labelled 'Avatar'. She read through the description again. 'Wanted by order of the Emperor. Needs proper training to become fully realized'.

She clenched her fist, and as she looked away she noticed a small market up ahead.

King sniffed, and then whispered into her ear, "Let's see if they have any food! Or maybe information on what the guards do with confiscated items."

Luz nodded. "Try and stay hidden, okay? I don't know how these folks feel about demons..."

She felt King squirm around a bit, as though he were warring with himself about what to do, before settling down in her hood. Luz pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself, overcompensating for the extra weight.

She looked around absently, trying to find some stand that would work for what she wanted.

King, apparently unable to sit still for long, poked his head out, and pointed out a stand. "There! Get me one of those!"

Luz walked up to the stand, and sighed at what they were selling. "Um... could I get one of these? My... little brother needs something like this."

The stand owner smiled brightly at her. "Of course! I'm always happy to see family members working hard for each other."

Luz smiled. At least the guy was nice. "Can I ask you.... I lost his toy a while ago. If, say, an Emperor's guard were to find it, where might they... take it?"

The guy scratched at his beard. "Truth be told, not a lot of people lose things around here. Sometimes things get confiscated, and those, depending on the item, might go straight to the Emperor, or maybe just over to Lord Blight's house. He and his family.... Supposedly, they track every piece of weaponry and armor anyone might come into the possession of. They control a lot of what goes on around here. I don't know about lost items, but you could certainly try their manor. It's in Bonesborough, the city to the north of here. Although, at that point you're close enough to try and ask the Emperor himself, if it meant that much to you."

Luz gulped. "I've heard about them. Aren't they usually out and about during the daytime?"

"Oh, yeah. Their kids can be quite the handfuls, from what I've heard. Don't really see them much down here, truth be told. They're busy keeping order in the more... tumultuous cities."

Luz thanked the man once more, before continuing on.

She sighed and reached into her pouch to look at the few coins she had left. Maybe enough for some firecakes? She didn't exactly hold out a lot of hope, as she looked around at the day market and saw the various stalls, none of which were advertising cheap food.

She wondered briefly if it would be worth it to attempt to trade something for it, but quickly dismissed the thought, knowing that everything she owned is in its own way very precious to her. Luz thought of her mother, telling her that things will find a way of working themselves out.

Luz glanced once more at the shops around her, before she sighed again and headed off down the street, determined to find a better way to get food.

The stalls at the day market were a bit pricey, but she imagined that there must be a shop of some sort that could sell cheaper food in bulk. She was planning on getting a lot of food, in anticipation for the journey she had ahead of her.

Luz gently touched the whistle tied to her waistband, a specially carved one her mother made just for her, and wished that she was still with her mother, back in her hometown.

She also reached out for her knife, ensuring that the blade was still there. Even though she didn't have much experience with any real kinds of fighting, Luz still wanted to have some sort of weapon attached to her person.

She gazed out at the town sprawled out before her, wondering yet again if this was going to be her life. Going around from city to town to abandoned trade paths, trying to make sense of a world she didn't even know if she truly belonged in.

To be fair, Luz wasn't totally sure she belonged anywhere anymore.

With the emperor's new decrees coming out nearly every day, the laws constricting bender's abilities tightened. No children allowed to bend outside of school, no one to practice moves and stances on their own without an instructor present, no one allowed to try anything new or different.

The people of the Boiling Isles were getting restless. Benders everywhere were being reported as kidnapped or just plain missing, and then there were the rumors. People saying that they saw their old friends, suddenly within the ranks of the Emperor's army. The strangest part about it was that they didn't even recognize them. Friends for years, and then suddenly they were a completely different person.

Luz had a feeling that the Emperor himself might be up to something, messing with the minds of benders and forcing them into his army, but she had no real way of figuring out what was really going on by herself.

She wished she had someone to talk to. Her mother, especially, but really just anyone. Luz had never felt so alone. Even with King by her side she wasn't sure how much help he could really be when trying to figure out her future, especially considering he wasn't necessarily going to stick around much longer.

Luz pulled King out of her hood, and then she slumped down against an alley wall, and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Luz tried her best to think of something that she could do next. Everything she had planned in a rush with her mother had already been completed. She had very vague notions of what to do next, but she was mostly out of ideas.

Suddenly, she felt a shift. Like something hidden within her had jumped out.

Luz opened her eyes, panicked, to see a middle-aged woman, glowing, before her.

Quite literally glowing, in fact. She had a bluish tinge to her form.

“Wah!” Luz flinched, “Who are you?”

“I am a part of you, young Avatar.” The woman said.

Luz looked around, nervous, and realized she had no idea where she was. She was no longer in an alley behind some houses, but within a house of some sort, which _must_ have belonged to a hoarder, because it was full of stacks of various random items. King had also disappeared from his spot beside her.

“Wh-what?” Luz glanced around more, trying to find a hint of what she was talking about.

The older woman laughed abruptly, and fell backwards into a couch, slouching and suddenly appearing far more comfortable and far less serious. “Ah, I’m just messing with you, kid. I’m your previous life.”

“My- _my_ previous life?” Luz repeated, eyes finally settling on the older woman.

A toothy grin appeared on the woman’s face. “C’mon, kid, didn’t your mom teach you about the Avatar cycle? I was the Avatar before you. Now you’re the Avatar. Simple, right?”

Luz nodded slowly. “She wasn't allowed to teach about who you were but... You were the Avatar before me? You- look so young.”

The woman laughed. “All the greats die young, haven’t you heard? Besides, it’s not like I was doing too great of a job. But you, kid? I’ve got a feeling you've got this in the bag.”

“What exactly do you expect me to be doing?” Luz asked, confused by the woman’s sudden confidence in her.

“Just.... figuring things out. You’ll know what you need to do.” The woman looked away for a moment. "My name's Eda, by the way. Whenever you need answers, _real_ answers, to your questions. Come looking for me."

Eda did something strange with her hand then, a sort of circular motion, that must have been some sort of airbending move, because suddenly there was a gust of wind in Luz's face.

When Luz blinked her eyes against it, and then opened them fully, she was back in the street, and Eda was gone. She opened her hand, which she hadn't realized she had clenched in a fist, and saw what appeared to be a wooden carving of an owl. Luz stared at it for a moment, running her thumb across the intricate detailing in the feathers, before stuffing it inside one of the pouches strung along her waist.

King looked at her, "What just happened? When I tried to talk to you a second ago, it was like you were dead. You wouldn't open your eyes."

"I-" Luz put a hand to her forehead, rubbing a suddenly tense spot. "I don't really know. One second I was here.... And the next, I was in some house."

"Hmm... Well, anyways, as I was saying before, since we're alone now, you can put on that thing you bought earlier." King said, holding it out for her.

"Oh! Right." She pulled off her cloak for a moment, and put the child harness across her chest. "There you go. Now we can just pass you off as my weird little bone baby."

She picked King up and put him into the harness gently, letting his little legs dangle.

"You look so cute!" Luz gasped, holding her own cheeks.

"The King of demons is not cute! I am a fierce commander!"

Luz stood up, and pulled her cloak around her. She wiggled a tiny bit, just to watch his dangly little legs a bit more. "Definitely cute." She then closed her cloak around herself, shielding him from view.

Luz glanced between both exits to the alley, and decided to go to her right, seeing a more open aired place ahead.

When she got out of the alley, she was surprised to see members of the Emperors guard, glancing around and looking at the people in the town square. They appeared to be stopping random people and asking them something, and then moving on to the next person.

Luz pulled her hood up over her head, hoping the reddish fabric of her cloak wouldn't appear too suspicious to the guardsmen.

"Try to be as inconspicuous as possible." Luz whispered to King. "There're guards everywhere." She attempted to slip through a gap between two groups of them, whistling innocently as she walked by. She wasn't too sure if the whistling would bring more attention to her or not, but the fact of the matter was that she was a bit nervous, especially considering the fact that there appeared to be guards everywhere.

"Stay quiet!" King whispered urgently. "That noise you're making only makes them look at you more!"

Unfortunately, his warning came a little too late. Abruptly, there was a hand on her shoulder. It turned her around, allowing her to see the person touching her.

There was a bird mask covering the person's face, so it was hard to discern any possible facial features. The guard pulled Luz's hood down abruptly, staring sharply at her.

"Kids your age should be in school right now. It's not smart to cut class."

Luz stared up at the guard, hoping that school enrollment was the only thing they were interested in. "Oh, yes, I'm aware. I just-... was looking for some medicine, for my father, before school, because, you know, he's sick, and I figured I should try to help him out in any way that I can.

"You see, he's been kind of sick for a while now, but I heard about this crazy little medicine shop that can sell you anything you need to cure any disease. You just have to pay a special price." Luz paused to take a breath, and the guard looked around a bit, apparently scanning for more potential tardy students.

"Special medicine, huh? What kind of disease does your father have?" The guard asked, cutting her off before Luz had a chance to continue talking about it.

"Oh! Oh, umm... He's got this really weird disease... it's called... umm..."

The Emperor's guard looked more closely at her face. "Y'know, usually when kids care about their parents enough to buy them medicine, they care enough to remember the name of the illness their parental figure is suffering from."

The guard appeared to be growing more suspicious of her. They started gesturing towards other guards, and the hand they had on Luz's shoulder slipped to her upper arm, as they pulled Luz towards the larger group ahead of them.

Luz dug her feet in, unwilling to go with them, and then, finally, resorted to a bit more of a - drastic - measure.

She used a bit of her bending powers, and grabbed the hand that was on her, summoning just enough of the heat of flames to cause the guard to flinch and try to pull their hand away, giving Luz the split second she needed to slip out of their grasp and begin to run away.

She stumbled quite a bit, as some of the guardsmen appeared to be earthbenders, and they tried to trip her up as she ran away. She felt the ground beneath her begin to give way, turning into some sort of muddy wet pit, trying to pull her in.

Against Luz's better judgement, she used one of the few earthbending moves she knew to solidify the ground beneath her, allowing her to give off a push against it and give off a blast of fire just strong enough to boost her onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Luz glanced behind her for a moment, looking at the growing crowd of the Emperor's guard below her before running.

She vaguely heard them shouting behind her, saying something along the lines of "That's her!" "WHO?" "That's the girl!" "Did you see what she did?" "She did something to the earth!" and various other cries.

Luz jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and glanced behind herself every so often, trying to gauge when she had a big enough lead on the guards to drop down into the streets below.

"Careful, Luz! You never know when someone is too close!" King said, his warning only making her more paranoid.

" _Not_ helping, King!" Luz exclaimed, trying her best to keep her breathing even.

Finally, she decided she had enough space to slip into a crowd below her. She found a storm drain that connected to the bottom of a building and held on tightly as she slid down it, using her other hand to try to keep King stable where he was resting on her belly. She looked up for a brief moment, before pushing into the crowd of people surging before her.

Luz went in between streets and alleyways until she herself was so lost she couldn't even tell where she was.

Before long she was deep into the heart of the small town, on the streets between neighborhoods and specialty shops.

Even though she was still trying to catch her breath, she was still very curious to see what was inside. She gazed into one, titled 'Maxine's Magical Mysteries', and saw a hint of carpets and something resembling a dragon made out of stone. She looked in just long enough to see the disapproving stare of an older woman, and quickly continued on her way.

As she walked further into the town, she saw a small group of teens kicking a ball back and forth between them. The teens appeared to have teams, as they had different colored shirts depending on what half of the makeshift field they were on. One team appeared to have a bit more of an earthy, green toned shirt, and the other side had the bluish shirts more typical to a waterbender's style.

As she watched, she spotted one of the kids doing a small earthbending move, stomping his foot into the ground long enough to get a pillar of earth to sprout out beneath the ball, giving it just enough lift to soar over someone else's head.

This apparently was the signal to truly start the match, because before Luz even had time to blink, the slow passing of the ball back and forth devolved into a brutally quick match of earthbending talent, the kids moving so quickly and strongly through their forms it put a hint of envy inside her chest. One of the girls on one side sent a blast of water into another teen's face, tripping them up completely and allowing someone else to steal the ball.

Another kid sent a jet of fire towards a cluster of the teens, as they were all busy trying to defend the ball. The waterbender from before put out the fire before it could hurt anyone, the water turning to steam. Even though she put it out, the fire still had the intended effect of scattering the others.

The firebender and waterbender, who appeared to be on the same team, had a small argument between them. The waterbender's hair must have been dyed- even though most of it had a greenish color to it, her brown roots were starting to show. She threw her hands up in the air, apparently sick of the other person.

She ran towards where some of her teammates were fighting over control of the ball, before doing some sort of sliding maneuver that was amplified by one of her teammates boosting her with their earthbending.

The waterbender managed to snatch the ball out from all the other players, and scored the first goal.

She cheered, and even the firebender she had briefly argued with cheered too, her teammates quickly coming up to pat her on the back.

The match was evidently one that had the first goal the only goal, as the other team was looking particularly upset at having been beaten. Nevertheless, a girl with blue hair and the green team's shirt seemed to set an example by going up to the other team and holding out her hand.

The girl who had scored the goal appeared to be raising her hand to shake, right as one of her teammates laughed in the green shirted girl's face. "Pfft, you expect us to shake the hand of someone who lost that badly? You couldn't even beat us in a challenge match. How do you even qualify for your school's team? That display was pathetic."

The other girl became upset at this. "Why'd you even challenge us if you're going to say something like that?" She pulled her hand by her side and clenched it into a fist. "If you hadn't cheated and aimed for our faces, then maybe we might've really wiped the floor with you."

The green team formed a bigger group behind the first teen, hands curling into fists and bending stances coming into place.

The blue team did the same, backing their own.

Luz stepped more fully into the clearing. "You shouldn't fight. She's right." She gestured towards the green shirted girl. "You all just wanted to play, right? What's so bad about having competition lose? It just makes them want to train harder, and then maybe next time you won't even know what hit you."

The blue shirted girl stepped up towards Luz. "And who do you think you are? Someone who can just step into our match and tell us how to act? Please. Take your little fired up self somewhere else. We don't waste time with someone who can't even control her emotions. We _won._ I don't need to listen to some nobody who just stumbled onto our match and tries to act better than us."

The green shirted girl stepped up then. "Please, Boscha, like you have any real say in who watches us."

The tension between the two groups was palpable. It certainly began to feel like nothing anyone said would get any problems solved.

Before anything too dangerous could happen, a group of Emperor's guards stumbled upon the group.

"Uh oh," Luz said. "Uhh, time to go, King!"

King, currently suspended in front of her, was in no real position to disagree with her. The group of teens seemed to agree with her choice of running, as several ran in the same direction she did.

Apparently some of the guards that had stumbled upon the group of teens had been some that were in the town square earlier, as one of them shouted, "There! The Avatar!"

Luz didn't look back or otherwise acknowledge the callout, but someone must have looked and seen who they were pointing to, because suddenly the looks Luz was getting from the teens around her were none too friendly.

Luz tried her best at a grin, noticing the waterbender from before in particular sending her a very intense look. Before any real trouble could get started, Luz was pulled abruptly into a short alley right off the main path she had been running down.

The hand muffling her mouth made her want to panic, at least a little bit, but before she could she was being shushed and pulled deeper into the shadows of the alleyway. She heard, vaguely, the sounds of another girl trying her best to still her breathing. She watched as the teens ran past the alley they were in, followed by a large progression of Emperor's guards.

When it appeared to be the last of them, the girl holding her back let go of her enough to spin her around so she could see her face. It was the green shirted girl from before, the one who had attempted to shake the hand of her foes. She held up a single finger in front of her lips, the universal signal to stay quiet, and shuffled around Luz to peek around the corner.

Her glance led her to breathe a little easier, Luz saw, as she appeared to let out a big breath. The girl turned back around to her.

"Is.... is it true?" The girl asked. "What they were saying back there. Are you... the Avatar?"

Luz hesitated. The fight within herself to seek out help versus the urge to keep her identity a secret was strong. Before she could make a decision, however, King responded for her. "Oh, yeah she is. You should see her in action! Her firebending moves are incredible! And her earthbending isn't anything to laugh at either." The demon had somehow managed to open up her cloak enough to reveal himself, mimicking punches and kicks, before crossing his arms resolutely. "I picked the best human in the Boiling Isles to help me get my crown back!"

The girl giggled behind her hand. "Is that your pet? He's adorable!"

"I am no one's pet! I am the King of Demons!" King said, frustrated. He kicked out with his little arms and legs, and it might have actually hurt Luz if he wasn't as light as he was.

"King. Be nice." Luz said, and she reached out for him, attempting to hold him reassuringly. "I.... I am the Avatar, yes. My name is Luz. And, despite what King says, I'm not too great at earthbending yet."

"I'm Willow! I'm great at earthbending! Maybe I could teach you some moves." The other girl said, her eyes lighting up. "C'mon, I'll take you back to my house. The guards won't look for you there."

"Are- you sure?" Luz said, still hesitant about revealing herself to anyone. "I.... don't know."

Willow smiled kindly at her. "It's okay Luz. We won't hurt you. I promise."

Luz shifted, still unsure, and looked down at King. He was looking up at her, and seemed encouraging. "It'll be okay, Luz. C'mon."

She nodded, finally, decisively. "Lead the way."

Willow smiled once more at her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her forward without another word. The girl was surprisingly strong, Luz noted, as she pulled her past building after building. Before too long they were on the outskirts of the town, a humble little farmhouse before them.

"The guards don't bother us much because we provide a lot of food for the town. Even they know better than to take too much from us. Our town still isn't fully under the Emperor's control, and a food shortage could lead to a revolt." Willow explained, leading Luz inside.

"Dad? Papa?" Willow called out. The small house had a humble entryway, well loved and well traversed judging by the shoes scattered by the front door.

As they stepped further into the house, Luz noted a small kitchen and sitting area. She saw a strong looking man, with darker skin than Willow herself.

"Willow?" The man said. "Welcome home, honey."

"Dad!" Willow said, rushing forward to give the man a hug. "You won't believe what happened today!"

"Oh yeah? Does it have anything to do with the girl you brought home?" Willow's father asked, gesturing towards Luz.

"Yes!" Willow said, excitement in her tone. "You won't believe it! This is Luz. The Avatar!"

Luz stiffened slightly, but the man before her only looked her over with a hint of interest, and nothing close to malicious intent. "The Avatar, huh? Never thought I would get to meet you in person."

"What about me?" King interjected. "The King of Demons will not be forgotten!"

Willow laughed a bit at King's incessant need for attention. Luz rubbed the edges of her cloak. "It's uh, nice to meet you too, Willow's dad."

"Oh!" He laughed a little. "My name is Birch. It's truly a pleasure, Luz. And an honor to meet you as well, King of Demons. What are you both doing here, though?"

"Willow said you guys are pretty safe from the Emperor's guard here, and well, I'm kinda priority number one in their minds." Luz explained.

The man glanced at his daughter. "While that's usually true, I've been worried about the recent increase in guard numbers lately.... It might have something to do with your presence here, Luz."

Luz began to fret. "But.... how! Even I didn't know I would be heading this way. This doesn't make sense."

Before Luz could work herself up too much, Willow interjected. "Luz, it's probably just because of where you were before. We're kind of a middleground here, so it sounds like the Emperor was anticipating your travel."

Luz sighed, and sat down at the table in front of her. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I've barely mastered my own element, and it feels like everyone is expecting... _something_ from me! I don't know how to help people. I can barely help myself."

"I could teach you earthbending!" Willow said, suddenly excited. "My papa taught me all my forms."

"Really?" Luz said. "You'd do that for me?"

Willow nodded enthusiastically. "I'm a master, even if my teachers at school keep me in the basics class."

Birch sighed. "They still haven't moved you up? I swear, Bel- the Emperor's teachers don't know anything about anyone. They couldn't recognize talent if it bit them on the-"

"WILLOW!" A man's voice shouted, the front door slamming open. A man closely resembling Willow stumbled into the room. He looked at Luz for only a moment before saying, "You haven't a moment to lose! Take Viridian and get out of here! The guard is looking all over for you."

"Wh-what?" Willow asked. "Why?"

"Apparently, folks in town are saying they saw you with the Avatar. You two need to go so they won't catch you."

Before the man had even finished his sentence, Birch had gone over to the kitchen area. He appeared to be going through the cabinets, stuffing a bag full of food. He glanced at Willow's dad for a moment before handing the bag to her. "You need to teach the Avatar earthbending... as much as I wish it didn't have to be you, you seemed to stumble upon the exact person you needed to. We... we love you, Willow. Now go!"

The men pushed Luz and Willow out the back door. Willow pointed out an ostrich-horse to Luz, handing her the food bag before she turned back towards her parents. Luz gave her as much privacy as she could, putting a saddle on Viridian and then climbing into it.

From her viewpoint on the ostrich-horse's back, she could just barely see over the house in front of her. As she looked, she noticed a large crowd of what looked to be Emperor's guards coming closer.

"Willow!" Luz said, urgent. "We've gotta go!"

Willow gave one last hug to her parents, before turning her back on them. Luz saw her wipe at her face as she approached her, before pulling herself onto Viridian. "Let's go, Luz."

**Author's Note:**

> i have classes and work so it might be a good week or two before i can write the second chapter for this BUT regardless i hope yall enjoyed. comments and constructive criticism is appreciated. find me on tumblr @lacklusterlycanthrope and hmu with questions about the au if you want


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